Sewing-machine shuttle.



No. 629,252. Patented July I8, 1899. P. H. HEWITT, E. A. CDCKLE & c. MATTHEWS.

SEWING MACHINE SHUTTLE.

(Application filed Mar. 29, 1898.)

(No Model.)

m: scams PETERS w. PHOTQUW WASHKNGYON. u. c

ping, removing, and accurately replacing the is a rear end elevation of the shuttle.

the spring-center for the reel is mounted.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PERCY HUGHES HEWITT, EDWIN A. cooKLE, AND CHARLES or LONDON,

SEWlNG-MACH MATTHEWS,

ENGLAND.

lNE. SHUTTLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 629,252, dated July 18, 1899.

Application filed March 29, 1898.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, PEROYHUGHES HEW- ITT, barrister-at-law, of Oakley House, Spring Grove, Isleworth, London,WV. ,and EDWIN AL- LEN 000mm and CHARLESMATTHEWS, bootmakers, of Si Victor Terrace, Harrow road, Willesden, London, WV, England, have invented a new and useful Sewing-Machine Shuttle, (for which an application for patent has been filed in Great Britain, dated the 7th day of March, 1898, No. 5,588,) of which the following is a full, clear, and exact descrip- This invention relates to shuttle sewing-machines; and it consists, essentially, in an improved construction of shuttle, whereby itis adapted to contain an ordinary commercial bobbin or reel of thread, so as to avoid certain well-known disadvantages incidental to the use of aspecial spool ofsrnall capacity,such as is generally employed,these disadvantages i neluding not only greater complication and consequent enhanced cost of the machine due to the necessity of providing special mechan-j ism for winding the spools, but also loss of time due to the necessity of frequently stopwork and of winding thread from the ordi-r nary reel onto the special spool, such loss bearing a high ratio to the total time worked. The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, wherein- Figure 1 is a longitudinal section on the plane of division between the upper and lower halves of the shuttle. Fig l is an inverted plan of the point end of the upper half of the shuttle. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation on line 2 2 Fig. 3, looking from the side next the shuttle-race, the internal fittings being shown in elevation. Fig. 3 is a top plan of the upper half of the shuttle. Fig. ,4 Fig. 5 is a'crosssection on line 5 5, Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a front end elevation of the bracket in which The shuttle A, as shown in the figures, mayconvenientlybeformed of metal stampings and is of the same general configuration as other sewing-machine shuttles, except that instead of being of D form in cross-section the shuttle.

Serial No. 675,560. (No model.)

' and'open at the flat side itis ofnearly-circu :lar cross-section, the flattened side a: (which works, as usual, against the'shuttle-rac'e, so as to pass to and fro across the nee'dle groove) .being closed and made of a width only suflicient to retain the shuttle in proper working position in the shuttle-driver or cradle.

The flattened side a of the shuttle is closed, so that no accidentally-loosened thread can escape from the shuttle, and thereis no liability of the needle-point catching in the shuttle. I

The shuttle is made in separable halves a a the joint being preferably in the horizontal central plane 1 1', Figs. 2, 4; 5, and 6, of the shuttle in order to permit of the introduction of the reel R by the removal of the upper half a. The reel turns upon and between coned centers B C, mounted in the lower half a of the shuttle. The back center B is fixed to or stamped up from'a plate 19, which is permanently attached by rivets or otherwise to the inside of the upwardly-turned flange a at the heel end of the lower half of The line of division between' the halves of the shuttle does not pass through the plate I),

which plate extendsup into'the upperhalf of the shuttleand is adapted to be engaged with the downwardly-turned flange atat the heel end of the upper half of the shuttle. For

this purpose the plate I) is provided with one or more rearwardly-projecting studs 12', which enter corresponding holes in the flange a the union of the upper and lower halves beingcompleted by means'of a spring-latch D, contained within'the point end of the shuttle. This latch is formed by a spring D, fixed within the lower half of the shuttle, as shown in Figs l and 2, and is provided with a nib or nose d, which projects into the upper half of the shuttle and is adapted to snap into engagement with a catch-plate (1, fixed within the upper half, so that by inserting the'studs b intheir holes at the heelend of the shuttle the connection between the two'parts of the shuttle may be completed by pressing the catch-plate d into engagement with the spring D, the spring being of suchform as to exert a forward pressureagainst thecatch-plate, and thereby maintain the secure engagement of the studs 1) with the holes in the flange a The engaging surfaces of the catch-plate d and nib cl are, moreover, so beveled that the spring will tend to hold the halves of the shuttle in close connection at the point of the shuttle.

The disengagement of the halves of the shuttle may be effected by sliding the upper half arearward upon the lower half, (thus overcoming the forward stress of the spring D until the studs b are disengaged from their holes,) whereupon the beveling of the surfaces of the catch-plate d and nib d will cause the spring to still further yield, so as to permit of the halves of the shuttle being completely separated by means of a direct pull away from each other. In order to insure coincidence between the meeting edges of the upper and lower halves at the point of the shuttle, a steady-pin 8 may be fixed in the catch-plate so as to engage in a longitudinal slot 6 in a plate E, which may form part of a bracket E, hereinafter described, fixed in the lower half of the shuttle and having a second slot 6 through which the spring D projects and by which the forward motion of the spring is so limited as to insure its maintenance when free in correct position for engagement with the catch-plate d.

The forward coned center (3 for the reel Ris carried by a sleeve 0, fitted to slide upon a spindle F, fixed in the bracket E, above referred to, the sleeve being free to slide longitudinally upon the spindle, but prevented from turning upon it by a cross-pinf, fixed in the spindle and playing in a longitudinal slot f in the sleeve, the pin-and-slot connection also serving to retain the sleeve upon the spindle when the reel is removed. The cone is formed in one with a disk 0, between which tion to check the rotation of the reel so far as may be necessary to prevent more than the requisite length of thread becoming unwound, the said friction also serving 'to impart tension to the thread. The range of elasticity of the spring H and the length of the guide-spindle F and slot f are such as to permit of the reel being sprung into and out of position in the shuttle, as well as to enable reels of various lengths, less than that of the full-sized reel shown, to be mounted between the centers B and C, while the adjustment of the stress of the spring H obtainable by means of the lock-nuts G enables the initial tension to be regulated and to be maintained constant notwithstanding that reels of different lengths are used.

The bracket E is permanently fixed by rivets e or otherwise in the lower half 0, of the shuttle. It comprises a boss (2 in which the rear end of the spindle F is permanently fixed,

adjusting the tension of the thread.

and an annulus or diaphragm 6 the two being united by an intermediate portion, affording a convenient means of attachment to the fiat side of the shuttle, as shown. The ring a being adapted to fit the internal configuration of the upper and lower halves of the shuttle serves as a means of insuring coincidence of the meeting edges of the upper and lower halves of the shuttle toward the point. The internal diameter of the ring 6 is such as to just give passage to the disk 0, which is provided with a rearwardly-extending peripheral flange Oiworkin g freely through the aperture of the ring, the ring, in conjunction with the flange, serving to prevent any loose thread which may accidentally become unwound from the reel from becoming entangled with the spring G, the depth of the flange 0 being sufficientto insure this result notwithstanding that the disk O may project considerably from the ring, as would be the case where a short reel is being used.

W'ithin the upper half a of the shuttle is mounted a thread-guide 2 through which the thread runs'from whatever part of the reel the thread may be drawn, this thread-guide being placed in the corner-space formed by the meeting of the fiat side Ct of the shuttle with the adjacent tangential portion aiconnecting the fiat and circular portions of the upper half of the shuttle. Near the top of the upper part of the shuttle is a thread-guide hole j, through which the thread passes from the threadguide 1. and which is partially covered by a spring-tension and guide plate 7t fixed by a screw it, by means whereof the nip of the thread between the shuttle and the plate 7c may be varied for the purpose of The plate is is provided with a stud on its under side, this stud entering a hole in the top of the shuttle and serving as a guide-stop limiting the play of the thread beneath the plate 70 during the forward motion of the shuttle. during the rearward motion of the shuttle is formed by the forward end of the plate 7; being curved downwardly and upwardly, as shown at Z in Fig. 2, and housed in an aperture Z in the shell of the shuttle. The form thus given to the forward end of the tensionplate 70, while offering no obstruction to the passage of the shuttle through the needlethread loop, admits of the thread being easily passed beneath that end of the tension-plate during the operation of threading the shuttle, as hereinafter described.

In order to prevent any possibility of the shuttle-thread becoming caught under the rear end of the tension-plate 7c, the rear portion of said plate is curved somewhat towardthe flat side of the shuttle, as shown in Fig. 3, and its extremity Z is bent downward so as to lie snugly against the body of the shuttle, as shown in Fig. 2.

The operation of threading the shuttle, which may be very readily performed, is as A similar guide-stop for the thread follows: The reel having been placed in position on the coned centers B C, so that the thread in unwinding will cause the reel to rotate toward the left-hand, (looking from heel to point of the shuttle,) the end of the thread is passed through the thread-guide i and hole j in the upper (and thus far detached)half of the shuttle and is then pulled around so as to pass under the forward end?! of the tension-plate'ic and finally emerge from under said plate at the side opposite to that at which the hole j is situated. The thread M having now assumed a position (relatively to the upper half of the shuttle) substantially as indicated in Figs. 3 and 5, the upper half of the shuttle maybe placed upon and locked in engagement with the lower half, as already described. The shuttle is then ready to be placed in the machine. A

It will be obvious that the halves of the shuttle may be held together by other means than those hereinbefore described-as, forinstance, by a hinge (flush with the outside of the shuttle) situated at the meeting edges in the flat side a of the shuttle and a spring catch or catches at the opposite side.

The needle and shuttle driving mechanisms may be of any ordinarykind used for shuttle sewing-machines, the only alteration needed being such a proportioning of the dimensions as to increasethe stroke of the shuttledriver to the extent rendered necessary by the increased length of the shuttle, to increase the stroke of the needle-bar to the extent necessary to enable the shuttle to engage with and pass through the loop of the needlethread,and to increase the range of the takeup sufficiently to enable it to take up the slack of the needle-thread loop after the shuttle has passed through the loop in the formation of each stitch, all these alterations being merely a matter of calculation not necessarily involving any change in the design or operation of the machine.

We claiml. A shuttle having its case divided longitudinally into two parts, said parts being provided at their heels with interlocking projections and recesses engagealole by a relative longitudinal movement of the parts and permitting a slight hinging action, one part having a transverse pin at its point and the other a longitudinal slotreceiving said pin, a spring on the point end of one part and a catch on the other engaged thereby, said spring straining the parts longitudinally to hold the interlocking parts in engagement, substantially as described.

2. A shuttle having its case divided longitudinally into two parts, said parts being provided at their heels with interlocking projections and recesses engageable by a relative longitudinal movement of parts and permitting a slightly-hinging action, one part having a transverse pin at its point, and the other a longitudinal slot receiving said pin, a curved spring-bar mounted on the point end of one part of the shuttle, its free end havinga catch 1 thereon and extending outward and toward the point, and the other part of the shuttle having a catch engageable by the spring, the engaging surfaces being sloping to strain the parts into interlocked position, substantially as described.

3. A shuttle having spool-receiving centers,

one of which is slidable longitudinally and I has acentral axial hole, a pin supported at one end and entering said hole, the pin and center having one a longitudinal slot, and the other a pin entering said slot and limiting its movement, a spring bearing against said movable center and an adjustable support for said spring, substantially as described.

l. Ashuttlehavingspool-receivingcenters, one of which is slidable longitudinally and has a central axial hole, a pin supported at one end and entering said hole and having a threaded section, the pin and center having one a longitudinal slot and the other a pin entering said slot and limiting its movement, a spring bearing against said movable center and locking-nuts threaded upon the pin and forming an adjustable support for the spring, substantially as described.

PERCY HUGHES HEWITT. EDWIN A. COCKLE. CHARLES MATTHEWS.

In presence of- G. G. CLARK, T. W. KENNARD. 

